Yoan Lopez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #16 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Lopez's jagged path through the minors culminated with his first trip to the majors in September, and after an ugly debut that went homer, triple, homer, he rebounded during the rest of the month to show the sort of dominant stuff that looks like it could be right at home in a late-inning role.
  
  Scouting Report: Originally signed for a bonus of more than $8 million in January 2015, Lopez left his Double-A team without permission in each of his first two seasons as a pro. He has never spoken publicly about the reasons why, but the departures raised concerns about his makeup. He has gone about reshaping opinions and is no longer viewed as a bad teammate. Lopez has some of the best stuff of any reliever in the organization, featuring a fastball that touched 99 mph and sat 97 in September to go with a swing-and-miss slider that sits in the mid-80s. He also appears to have the mentality for the ninth; during an outing against the Dodgers he escaped a jam and glared at Manny Machado on his way off the field.
  
  The Future: Lopez's pure stuff and reshaped attitude give him a chance to win a roster spot in the spring. He could work his way into a prominent bullpen role.
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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #18 prospect in 2018
  The D-backs spent more than $16 million to sign Lopez, the total amount encompassing his $8.25 million signing bonus and a 100 percent overage penalty. After two seasons, the decision looked like a huge bust. But Lopez dominated the high Class A California League as a reliever in 2017, creating some optimism that he could one day be a big league contributor. The D-backs viewed Lopez as a potential frontline starter when they signed him out of Cuba in January 2015, but for two years he not only did not throw well--he struggled to maintain his stuff from start to start--he also had issues off the field. Each of those years, he left his Double-A Mobile team without permission. He has never publicly discussed why, but he told team officials he was considering retirement the second time. Instead, he returned in 2017 and, after dealing with blister and shoulder issues in the first half, turned in two dominant months at Visalia. His fastball sat 95-98 mph touched 99 with late life up in the zone, and his slider was a wipeout pitch, with sharp, late action. It's a red flag that his brief stint in the Arizona Fall League in 2017 ended with more shoulder issues, but if he's healthy he could pitch his way into the big league bullpen in 2018.
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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #6 prospect in 2016
  Arizona doled out nearly $22.3 million to sign Lopez and Yasmany Tomas out of Cuba last winter. Lopez signed for $8.25 million, which put the Diamondbacks over their allotted bonus pool for international players and triggered severe penalties. They were hit with a tax equal to nearly the amount of Lopez's bonus, and they also are forbidden from signing any international prospect for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods. In his 2015 debut, Lopez missed a month with a blister problem, left Double-A Mobile at one point without permission and hitting No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanton in the face with a pitch during a simulated game before finally was shut down with elbow discomfort. Lopez should be able to add strength to his slight build as he matures. He flashes plus velocity and a plus slider when he's on, but his command and velocity can be inconsistent from inning to inning. His fastball regularly sat 90-94 mph during his time in Mobile and reached as high as 98 in the fall. The pitch has arm-side run but lacks deception, and his command of the pitch is below-average. Lopez's 78-82 mph curveball with hard spin is his best secondary pitch, though it can get slurvy at times. A fringe-average changeup in the low 80s is clearly his third pitch, and he uses a high-80s slider infrequently. Lopez, who threw 24 innings in the Arizona Fall League, strikes many scouts as a future reliever. He will be able to address his makeup issues as he repeats Mobile in 2016.